The Boy No One Knew Existed
by poknami
Summary: 11 years after Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort disappear, two unlikely boys make their way to Hogwarts, holding the weight of their fathers' war on their shoulders. This is the story of Aiden Potter and Matthew Riddle. PreDeathly Hallows
1. Warnings and Disclaimers

Harry's 7th year at Hogwarts brought about the greatest war seen by wizard kind.

At the end, both Harry and Voldemort went missing.

A story of the lost past and an uncertain future held within wizarding times. The world stands still between the balance of good and evil, the war unfinished. Both sides rapidly gain support, and easily lose it.

Time has passed, and nothing has changed.

Eleven years brings the world new hope at ending the feud in the form of two young boys: the boy no one knew existed and the boy no one thought possible.

A pre-Deathly Hallows story based upon two impossible sons and their path through Hogwarts in a time where their fathers meant everything to the fate of the world.

Disclaimer: I do not, nor have ever, owned the characters presented in Harry Potter. The wizarding world (for the most part, it may be tweaked a little to fit the story) belongs to J.K. Rowling. Original characters, however, and original storyline are completely mine and may not be used by anyone else without my consent.

**Warnings: This fic is Pg-16 (Older Teen).** It contains strong violence, adult language, talk of death and/or suicide, character death, and homosexual couples. If you do not like any of these things, please do not read this story. This will be your only warning.

This story is posted both to my LJ and my account. The LJ version will include any scene above PG-16, but they will be friend-locked. Don't be afraid to friend me, even if you're a silent reader.

Currently a work in progress. Updates will be made when updates to the story are made. **Currently up to Chapter 6 has been released.**

My goal is to update the story every Saturday, although this may change due to the amount of time I have available.

There is a soundtrack to this fanfiction, which will be updated by chapter. If you do not want to download the soundtrack, don't bother. It can, currently, be found in the link given below. (remove the spaces)

http/ /www.4shared .com/dir/4700062/4d03f882/HPFanficSoundtrack.html


	2. Prologue

Here's the prologue for everyone. I hope you guys enjoy it.

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Prologue - The Two Boys

A month had passed since anyone had heard from Harry Potter. Not even Ronald Weasly, Harry's best friend, nor Hermione Weasley, Ron's wife and the third member of the Golden Trio, had a clue as to where the main Golden Boy had disappeared off to. They wished they knew, of course. Harry had left them with a newborn, stating that he'd be back to see Aiden once he was sure it was safe for his child.

In reality, both Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort had gone missing that night. The most trusted of the trusted friends, the most loyal of the loyal Death Eaters; none were informed of what had happened.

And that's how Aiden Potter grew up, raised by friends of his father and listening to stories of his heroics, wishing that he'd just show up one day and tell him he'd never leave again. Hoping against hope that his father wasn't dead. Wishing every night that the father he had never known hadn't forgotten about him.

Once Aiden hit eleven, the destined Hogwarts letter arrived, and the young boy planned to use every resource available to him to find his father. Hogwarts, with all of its mysteries, must hold some clue to where Harry Potter was. A giant library worth of research and long, mysterious hallways full of information would be at his fingertips.

Aiden was eager to get onto that train, to study that library full of books. He wanted to stick his nose into every book he could, even if that meant that his glasses would slide down his nose every five seconds. Any book with mention of the Golden Hero would top the young boy's list of books to read, and any book mentioning locating lost items (or people) soon followed.

So when the raven haired boy, hair going every which direction as did his fathers, was at the train station, pushing his glasses back on his nose again after hauling his trunk onto the train, his mind was too occupied with the possibilities for him to have spotted the long haired boy getting on the train in the very next car.

His father was confronted a few days after his birth, so he remembered nothing about him except that cruel smile following a flash of green light that took away his mother. The man disappeared from the world, and left the newborn in the hands of men almost as hideous as the snake that was his father.

He scavenged for food, learned to run quickly, quietly, and to sneak in shadows. He learned to manipulate people, twist words and throw the mind into short lived chaos. He'd become just like his father, but his reasons were different.

He did this to _survive_.

And that's how the son of the Dark Lord grew up. Fighting for survival.

When the Hogwarts letter came, a second one followed shortly after. Inside were a little key and four numbers that belonged to a vault in Gringotts. Although his father was missing, he wasn't dead, and Matthew Riddle had access to his father's money for school supplies.

It was the first time in his life that he didn't have to steal or manipulate just to get what he needed.

So the long haired boy, who resembled more his cat-like mother then his snake-like father, bought more supplies then he needed, eager to finally learn to protect himself with magic and not just stealth.

He held a book in his hand as he boarded the train for his first year at Hogwarts, and only glanced over once at the raven haired boy who almost struggled to get his trunk onto the train.


	3. Chapter 1

Edited by Lightning Paladin. Give him love Enjoy!

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Chapter 1 – The Boy No One Knew Existed (And the Boy Everyone Thought Impossible)

Once Aiden had gotten onto the train, he didn't know where to go. He knew only one person at Hogwarts. He started down the aisle, looking for the compartment she was in. He had to check several stuffed cabins before finally finding it, full of girls. He considered sitting in the compartment next to it, where he saw two or three boys that didn't seem much older than himself. But the raven haired boy wanted familiarity, so he opted to join the older female amongst the horde of girls.

The long haired boy had managed to find an empty compartment towards the back of the train, isolated from the other students. Before the train really began moving, several students had wandered to the back to the train, peeking into the boy's compartment searching empty room. Whenever someone tried to enter the compartment, he stared at them until they left, uneasy. Only one person had managed to stay, a silent, careful boy who didn't even seem to look at the long haired boy, except when Mat sighed and gave up staring. Some people just didn't see that others wanted to remain alone.

When the train got to the destined school, Kaylee all but dumped Aiden in front of the half-giant standing by the edge of the lake. He was way too glad to get away from the red haired girl he'd sat with; the constant chatter still echoed in his ears. The students were a long ways off from Hogwarts itself, but the young boy could almost see the beautiful castle behind the trees, on the far side of the lake. It seemed to stand higher than the stars, reaching for whatever lay beyond. Professor Hagrid, as Kaylee had addressed him, called out for all the first years to gather, and they rode the boats awaiting them at the shore's edge across the lake, to the school. Aiden had long since been told not to bother figuring out what pulled the boats, or where they came from. He rode in near silence, as did the rest of the students. Only once did someone fall in, and he was quickly pulled out of the water, blond hair dripping. His wet clothes dripped along the ground when they landed.

The first years were bustled all too quickly into the Great Hall, straight to a singing, rugged hat sitting on top of a stool.

I may be just a hat to you

But to others I'm their pride

I'm a thinking cap, you see

From me there's nothing you can't hide

Be you a brave Gryffindor

With a will stronger then naught

Understanding of what's right and wrong

For Gryffindors, a brave battle fought

Be you brilliant Ravenclaw

A mind and memory powerfully shaped

With such affinity towards knowledge

There is no boundary without an escape

Maybe you're a Hufflepuff

Where lie the pure of heart

A truer friend you'll never find

A loyalty that will never part

How 'bout clever Slytherin?

Where the cunning ones remain

A planner if one ever was

One who knows the truth of pain

Four loyal houses come together

And join to form a brethren

Together a new dynasty is made

By such majestic men and women

So put me on, and try your luck!

See the house to which you belong

You can put your trust in this old hat

For I am never wrong!

The large room erupted in cheer as the hat finished singing. A tall, sturdy woman stood up to the stood, unraveling a long scroll from which she read aloud in a clear and commanding voice. The room stilled as the sorting began.

Ron and Hermione Weasly hadn't told many that Harry Potter had a son. Mostly just family and close friends knew about Aiden; the world wasn't ready for the son of a missing hero. All of their hopes that they thought the golden boy would fulfill would have fallen onto Aiden, and no one wanted him to be so responsible while he was so _young_. So when Professor McGonagall, still working as the Transfiguration teacher, called out - a small pause as she reread the name - "Potter, Aiden", the entire room seemed to gasp. The raven haired boy went to sit on the stool, and put the hat onto his head.

A small voice started whispering in his ear. "I remember your father. A remarkable man, he was. He understood the purpose of the thinking cap, and I'm sure you'll figure it out too."

_Just hurry up and sort me into anything but Slytherin. I can't be Slytherin; it'd destroy everyone's memory of my dad. Anything but Slytherin!_

"Not Slytherin? Your father said the same thing, 'Not Slytherin, not Slytherin' over and over. You'd better be GRYFFINDOR!" The hat yelled the house name, and Aiden took the hat off. He set it back on the stool, and walked to the table far left, which had cheered the loudest at the house name. Aiden sat down between Bill and Flour Weasleys' child – Kaylee – and a boy he remembered from the compartment next to his. He sighed relief as the sorting continued.

If Professor McGonagall paused at Aiden's name, she simply gawked at this one. She finally managed to get it out, wondering if it was possible for this person to even exist.

"R-Riddle, M-Matthew"

As the long haired boy walked to the stool, he glanced again at the raven haired boy he'd seen getting on the train. This was the son of the man who took his father away? Mat didn't allow himself to think long as the sorting hat was lowered over his head. He couldn't trust where his thoughts would take him. Especially not into those eyes.

"You're the son of Tom Riddle, aren't you? It's been so long since he was sorted. His blood still runs strong in your veins, though. The same blood of Salazar Slytherin. And," the hat paused before speaking again, "something much more feral. So, I'd better put you in SLYTHERIN!"

Mat stood up as the hat was taken off, walking to the table that cheered for him. Second from the right, covered with children who resembled those cruel men he'd grown up around. Men he'd recognized as Death Eaters, who'd deemed it fit to continue on as if the Dark Lord had never disappeared. The long haired boy glanced at the boy who'd managed to stay in his compartment, a Ravenclaw named Balendin Hoder. Mat sat down at the end of the Slytherin table, where even the older students around him seemed to want to talk. Or at least get on his good side.

Times hadn't changed from when Harry Potter had chosen to quit school. The dark side still had a lot of support - and more now that the golden boy was missing. Not that the disappearance of the Dark Lord had done much, but strong Death Eaters had managed to cover up his disappearance. They simply claimed the Dark Lord didn't have time to deal directly with ordinary Death Eaters. And the dark side had managed to gain support, as the good side acquired stronger bearing.

The teachers stared at Mat throughout dinner, wondering if it was possible for the Dark Lord to be human enough to raise a son. Or if he was human enough to have an interest in a woman in any way other than a follower - or someone to murder.

Dinner passed quickly, the only sound resonating through the room was the whispers of two boys who no one expected to show up.

That night, as Aiden lay in his bed, he remembered what Kaylee had told him a long time ago, when he was little. His father had gone off to kill the Dark Lord. From the books Aiden had read, and Ron's stories, he knew Voldemort used to be named Tom Riddle. That was in a record his father had written for Aiden, and left for Ron to teach him as the young boy grew. So, if that Slytherin was named Riddle, didn't that mean he was connected to Voldemort? Didn't that mean that through that boy, Aiden could find a clue to his father's whereabouts?

Aiden decided, right before he went to sleep, that he would ask in the morning, since he was too tired to climb out of bed and ask right away.

Aiden was disappointed to find out that the only class he had with the Slytherins was Potions on Friday. He didn't want to wait that long to talk to Riddle. His classes seemed to last forever, and the Gryffindor had a hard time concentrating. Several times teachers had to stop and make sure he was paying attention. Upon his affirmative, the class would continue, yet his mind did not stay long. As Friday came about, he was trembling in excitement. He had, by then, convinced himself that the Slytherin could tell him exactly where his father was, and how to get there. It was a logical conclusion, after all. The Slytherin's father, Lord Voldemort, was the last one to really be seen with the missing man. Lord Voldemort was high on pure bloods and high class morals; Aiden doubted the killer would allow his son to grow up in any environment which promoted the wellbeing of all creatures. The youth would be his successor, and therefore would need to be taught exactly how to rule over all creatures, magical or not. The logical person to teach the Dark Lord's son such morals is the powerful Dark Lord himself. And, since father and son had obviously been together so long, the young man must know something about that mysterious night so long ago. In conclusion, Riddle knew where Harry Potter was kept, and could provide easy access to the absent man. So Aiden approached the long haired boy after a very, _very_ long Potions class with little else on his mind.

"Hey, Riddle. I have a question for you."

Mat turned around and stared at the Gryffindor. "And what would one so _golden_ as you want with someone so _Slytherin_ like me?" Mat smirked, taking joy at the flinch the slightly smaller youth gave at the mention of his father's nickname.

"You…you know where he is, don't you? My father, that is." Aiden looked at Mat a little too hopefully; those striking emerald eyes (also inherited from his father, whose eyes were inherited from his mother, and so forth) seemed to stare straight into the long haired boy's soul. It made him _very_ uncomfortable.

"_Your_ dad, Potter? Hell, I don't even know where _my_ dad is. And I don't really care. Why would you be so blockheaded as to think I knew anything, Potter?" Mat wasn't smirking anymore, and his tone was cold. The other's eyes were doing _something_ to him, and he wanted to know exactly what it was before he freaked. He wasn't used to being stared at like a hero.

"Blockheaded? I was only asking, _Riddle_. Jeez, you don't have to _insult_ me." Aiden made sure to emphasize the last name, and turned to walk away. "At least _I_ can keep a _civil_ conversation."

"Like what you're doing now?" the Slytherin was smirking again.

It took most of the patience that Aiden had left not to punch the other boy. He was a jerk! No wonder his father wanted Voldemort dead; if he was only half as bad as his son, Aiden would have sent his father after such a man too. Though, from what Aiden had learned about Lord Voldemort, he was sure the Slytherin in front of him was only a mild, well-behaved case.

Mat turned away from the fuming Gryffindor, heading towards the grounds outside. He didn't care to listen to any answer the golden boy might have given him; he had better things to do than baby-sit a very misguided young man.

Aiden spent the rest of his Friday in the library, looking for something helpful. He couldn't get Kaylee to help, but the boy he'd sat next to during the feast had become a quick friend, aiding in keeping the Gryffindor's attention during some of the long, boring classes during the week. One of the many helpful things Aiden had discovered about his new friend was that Jayden was an expert at finding out information when it came to mysteries.

As the day neared an end, and neither boy had found anything helpful on locating spells or tracking potions, they trudged back up to the Gryffindor tower for a good night's rest before their homework called in the morning.

His dreams weren't peaceful. He tossed and turned, pain searing through his veins. A man stood above him, amused at how pathetic he was. As another spell was thrown his way, the man only laughed, and strengthened the hex. The laugh was haunting and deep, yet inhuman. Is reminded him of the hissing sound a snake would make while laughing at its prey. He disliked that sound.

_Escape_ was his one thought.

He turned over, and saw another man. Well, not a man…yet. Emerald eyes stared at him, and his body flared in heat. The cause was indefinable. Never had such pain, fear, and emotion welled up at one time like that. That familiar gaze was almost worse than the snake like man. It haunted him more. Those eyes that saw right threw him...he turned to run.

And fell off the bed.


	4. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – Flying and Nightmares

The first flying lessons for first years were announced a few days later. Madame Hooch was still teaching flying, despite a bad fall two years earlier that resulted in three broken bones, two broken ribs, and a crack in her skull. This year she was looking forward to teaching – she expected the young Potter to have inherited his flying skills from his father.

"Well? Step up to your brooms and call 'Up'", Madame Hooch watched as the students tried. Few got it right the first time, Potter being one of them. As if she couldn't predict _that_ one.

Madame Hooch demonstrated the correct way to mount a broom, and showed the students how to push up off the ground and hover.

"Your turn. On my count of three! 1…2…3!"

The first years pushed themselves off the ground, hovering a few feet. Well, those that got up. Half of the students remained on the ground, wondering why they hadn't gone in to the air. The students in the air weren't much better off, since most of them had trouble controlling their brooms. Aiden, Jayden, and Mat seemed to be the only three without large problems. All three boys had been on a broom before, and just rising into the air was a piece of cake.

"Okay, touch back down now. Potter, I have a challenge for you. I want to see if you inherited your father's flying genes. Back up in the air you go." Madame Hooch took a small, golden snitch out of her pocket, and held it up for the class to see. "This is a snitch used in Quidditch. Anyone can try to catch it if they think they can get it before Aiden. It's spelled not to go far, just out of sight for a little while."

Jayden mounted his broom again, and kicked off into the air. "Might as well try, right?"

Mat followed suit. The other students figured they didn't have a chance verse a Potter. Madame Hooch let go of the golden snitch, and watched it momentarily.

It hovered for a little bit, unsure of where to go. Then it whizzed off, and disappeared amongst the high castle walls.

Almost like instinct, Aiden rose higher on his broom, circling the area above the rest of the students. Jayden rose, but remained stationary. Mat rose to Aiden's level, and although he didn't move his broom, he looked around him with a solemn expression.

Madame Hooch continued lessons with the other students while the two Gryffindors and the Syltherin looked for the snitch. She glanced up often to be sure they were still there, but didn't want to waste precious instruction time watching what could take hours to proceed.

After a good half hour, a glint caught in the corner of Aiden's eye. He raced towards it, side by side with Mat and followed by Jayden. It was obvious the lagging Gryffindor hadn't seen the snitch – but the Slytherin had spotted it as Aiden had. As the snitch plummeted towards the ground in an almost vertical line, both leading boys took a nosedive, while Jayden pulled back, unwilling to try.

They kept bumping into each other, whether it was purposeful or accidental couldn't be determined. Everyone was watching the two boys following a snitch that made a sharp ninety degree turn towards the lake.

Aiden and Mat pulled their brooms up yet continued forward, neither one willing to give up the chase after the snitch. They got closer and closer to it; Aiden reached out his hand to grab it. Neither one noticed the bluebird that flew by until it passed right in front of them, as startled at their speed as they were that it was there. The boys ran into each other, and Mat reached out as they both fell about thirty feet to the ground.

Mat twisted in the air, pushing against Aiden towards the ground. He braced himself, and landed on his hands and knees. The first year rolled over just in time to catch Aiden as he fell on top of the Syltherin. As the long haired boy stood up, he slid something smooth and round into the Gryffindor's open hand.

Madame Hooch rushed over, panicked. "Oh, boy. Are you two okay?" She didn't seem satisfied with the nod that they gave, however, and proceeded to pat them down and check for broken bones anyway. Mat shied away from the pat down, ducking to avoid the hands.

"Here's the snitch, Professor." The raven haired boy held out his hand with the golden ball, and gave it to the flying teacher. He sighed, and scanned the air for the brooms they'd fallen off of.

"They're gone. Forget about it, Potter. Ran into that willow on the far side of the school already. They're mulch." The Slytherin started to walk away, bored with the class and wishing to take care of the bruises he'd gotten from the fall. Madame Hooch grabbed him roughly by the arm, nodded to Aiden, and dismissed the rest of the class.

"We haven't had a decent game of Quidditch at this school since Harry Potter left. Now we've found two excellent seekers. Both of you will be joining the house team, and you'll both be receiving school brooms to use. Don't get cocky though, you're both still first years. And I don't expect anymore crazy stunts like what you two just pulled. Who knows what it'll break next time." Madame Hooch shivered, and let the boys return to their dorms. There weren't any more classes that day anyway, so they both walked in silence towards the castle. Well, almost silence.

"Hey, Riddle. I have a question." Aiden was quiet, almost unsure of breaking the silence they'd been comfortable in.

"Knowing you, it's a stupid one, Potter. And if it's about your dad, forget it." The Slytherin was cold, and radiated an aura that said he didn't want to answer any questions.

"Shut it, Riddle. Why'd you hand me the snitch?" The Gryffindor asked the question quickly, not sure if he wanted to find out the answer.

Mat never answered. Instead, he turned away from the castle and headed towards the Whomping Willow, and what looked like the remains of the once magical brooms.

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He was running from those emerald eyes. He could feel them, looking _through_ him. Those eyes that said that he wouldn't get away; he'd be open prey, like a wounded bird to a feral tomcat. And he _wanted_ that person. He wanted him _so badly _it _hurt_.

He tripped, and landed hard on his right knee.

The pain shook him out of his dreams, and he discovered himself on the floor beside his bed. Slowly he picked himself up off the ground, sitting on the edge of his bed. He ignored the pain as he felt his knee for the second time that day – to be sure he hadn't made it worse. Apparently, though, the second fall had misaligned the ligament once again. Biting his tongue, he pushed the bones in his leg back into place. He ignored the blood dripping from his mouth onto his covers, and didn't stop until he was satisfied the frame was back in place. He lay back down, trying not to think of the nightmare.

The pain in his leg flared, reminding him again of just how broken it'd become. The pain kept the usually insomniac boy awake. Not that he'd _wanted_ to sleep, after remembering the look in those emerald eyes.

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Come the weekend after the flying lessons, both boys had practice with their house teams. Aiden woke up Saturday excited, and ready to get back on a broom. Breakfast went almost too slow for him, waiting for the afternoon practice to come around. He wasted time writing a letter to Ron and Hermione to tell them the news.

The morning mail arrived, bringing in newspapers carried by millions of owls, mostly tawnys belonging to the school. A sleek eagle owl swept into the room, and after circling once, dropped a long, sleek package in front of Aiden. A long sleek package shaped rather like a broomstick.

There were three words on the note, and a set of unfamiliar initials.

_

Open in dormitory.

_

_-DM._

Aiden decided to include this in his letter, once he opened the package.

The Gryffindor nudged Jayden, who'd been talking to a very pretty Ravenclaw girl. He nodded to the broom, and both boys left, almost running towards the dorms. They dashed right past a group of fawning female Slytherins, and a long haired boy who watched them as they passed, more interested then he should have been.

In the dormitory, Aiden ripped open the package to reveal the first broom the makers of the original Firebolt have made since the Firebolt, accumulating twenty years of research to make a broom far beyond any in the market. A brand new Blue Flame, worth about 300 gallions to any broom collector. Currently, only one Quidditch team could afford such expensive brooms for their team; the Chudley Cannons.

Who was DM, to have sent such an expensive broom? And who was he to know that Aiden needed one? No one in the school had the same initials; well, no one who Aiden knew. Hopefully Ron and Hermione would know, though. Aiden hurried to write the new detail in the letter, before Jayden ran away with his new broom, which was quite possible given the drool that had already dropped into the tail of the Flame. Practice today was going to be interesting.

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Practice was exhausting, but he couldn't sleep. His knee wasn't the one stopping him, though. He'd watched the other practice - the other team with a new seeker. He'd made a mistake in doing that; He already wasn't what he should be, what he used to be.

He was afraid to sleep. Afraid that those emerald eyes would come after him again, watching his movement. Those emerald eyes so similar to the ones he loved. Eyes he shouldn't love.

He was afraid to sleep, but exhaustion overtook him. He battled it out for a while, but finally gave up and let the nightmares overtake him once again.

He woke up once he'd managed to toss and turn onto the floor.


	5. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – A First Time For Everything (Except Homework)

Aiden considered skipping class on Monday, having been through way too much Quidditch practice to want to move. Yet he went anyway, Kaylee dragging him out of bed by lifting the mattress until it was vertical. Potions with the Slytherins, last class of the day, slowly came, and Aiden decided he'd kill Mat for skipping class, seeing as the pretty boy wasn't present. And by the saddened faces of the Slytherin girls, he'd skipped all of his classes today.

He was a goner.

Fortunately for the girls, Mat was nowhere to be found.

Mat skipped class for the rest of the week, yet Aiden could swear he saw "Riddle" on a paper on Professor McGonagall's desk that was assigned to the first years Monday when he glanced at said desk while heading to his seat. Aiden didn't care much, Quidditch practice and homework took up most of his time. The gryffindor found himself in the library Friday night just trying to catch up on his homework.

Aiden looked up from his essay after two or three hours, stretching. He needed a book on oceanic herbs to finish his essay, so he got up and headed to the Herbology section. It had, at the current hour, become a long, long walk through two very long bookcases, followed by a confusing search for a book Aiden doubted he could read the name of anymore.

_Way too many books here, _the raven haired boy thought as a book was slid smoothly back into place on the shelf in front of Aiden. Its title was conveniently _Oceanic Herbology_, and the borrower had already turned around to walk away to another aisle. Long, light brown hair followed the sleek form as it turned away, and Aiden yelped. Was this where he was hiding this whole time?

Aiden took the book and practically ran after the long hair. He caught up once Mat sat at a table, a book of level 4 Charms and Incantations open in front of his nose. He was copying one down when Aiden spoke up.

"Weak, Riddle? Is Quidditch practice too much for you that you have to spend your time in the library to avoid the world?" Not quite what he'd wanted to say, but he wasn't about to sit down and have tea with this guy.

"Homework too much for _you_, Potter, that you have to stay in the library all night to finish?" Mat smirked from his seat, those piercing blue eyes looking from the book in Aiden's hands to the Gryffindor's face as he leaned back in the chair.

"You didn't answer my question, Riddle. And for your information, at least I can make it to both class and practice!" If he wanted to play games, Aiden didn't have time. He hadn't even started on the History of Magic essay yet, nor the Charms homework.

"I've been doing research, Potter. I'm keeping up with my studies, and I'm going back to class on Monday." Mat went back to the book in front of him, sitting forward and turning the page. "What you're looking for is on page 204, by the way."

Aiden was going to throw another comeback, but Mat had gone to completely ignoring the world. It was a strange look in the Slytherin's eyes, one of complete concentration. All focus seemed dedicated to the words written on the page, and nothing else seemed to get through. And it was starting to freak the raven haired boy out.

Aiden slowly walked back to his parchment, and by the time he finished all of his homework, he had two minutes to get back to the dormitories before he was considered out of bed. Aiden ran down the corridors and up staircases, concentrating only on where he was going.

A quick spell hit his back, and he fell face front onto the floor beneath his feet. The youth didn't have time to see what kind of spell had hit him. He turned around on the floor, ready to kill Mat for hexing him at such a time. Instead, he saw a tall man wearing a dark black cloak with the hood up, and a hideous, silver mask covering his face. The design was covered in silver formed belts, buckles, and scars. Aiden wanted to run, as far and as fast as he could, but he found he couldn't move his legs. The man raised his wand again, pointed at Aiden's chest. No one else was around. Not a teacher, not Filch, not even Mrs. Norris. His voice was strong and clear, yet quiet. It seemed to echo as it cut through the impending silence.

"Potter, your time is up. We can't let you change him anymore. Avad-"

A huge black panther knocked into the man, strong jaw clenched tightly around the arm of the man. The cat didn't let go. Its strong growl could be heard through the arm within its jaws, and it echoed within Aiden's mind.

The man switched wand hands, pointing the wand at the cat. He had stopped flailing the arm about, giving up his fruitless attempt to loose the panther. The animal jumped back, stalking in front of Aiden to guard the youth from the older man. The man standing glared at the sleek black animal, and snarled. His voice was no longer clear, yet weighted down with a heavy accent.

"You'll see things our way again soon, don't worry. Sectumsempra!" The man turned into a bat, and flew through one of the open windows in the castle.

The cat flew back a few feet, landing heavily on the floor. It was covered in cuts, visible even through the dark black fur. The cat trotted back towards the Gryffindor and nudged the boy's arm. Aiden found he could move again, and he slowly got up. He addressed his question to no one in particular, and was not loud. "What the hell was _that_?"

The cat pushed Aiden towards the Gryffindor tower, stopping at the stairs. Once the boy had started walking up, the animal started to slink off towards the Great Hall. Aiden felt a cold presence and looked down, noticing the droplets of dark blood the cat left behind.

"Wait! You're hurt!" Aiden started after the panther, but it turned around and snarled at him. If the snarls weren't enough, those red eyes that seemed to know everything were telling him "go back to your tower, or the tower won't be missing you." Aiden, at a loss for words, turned around and ran to the portrait of the fat lady.

XXXXX

Come Quidditch practice the next morning, all traces of the struggle last night were gone. No blood to show Aiden where the cat had went, no fur or claw marks. It seems to be just a bad dream. Not that Aiden was complaining, but he'd rather know what brought about the awkward dream anyway. If it was reality, where had that cat come from? A million questions entered his mind, but he stuffed them out with bacon and toast, preferring food over thought. Once he finished, all too soon, he ran to get his Blue Flame and fly around the field a few times before practice began.

The field was occupied when he got there. Slytherins and Gryffindors were lazily circling in the air, chatting about this and that, or glaring at one another. The Gryffindor team captain noticed Aiden, and lowered his broom to a hover just above the ground.

"We're playing a scrimmage against Slytherin. Everyone got excited today, I guess. We're only missing one person."

"Who?" Aiden scanned the air for teammates, recognizing the red and gold uniforms of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He saw all of his team was here, so a Slytherin?

"Ah, here he is. Slept in, pretty boy?" The Slytherin team captain had joined them while Aiden was staring at the sky, and both captains were looking behind Aiden at another player.

"Long night, Mahli. We're scrimmaging today, then?" Mat pulled his long hair back into a ponytail, leaning his Nimbus 3000 against his hip since his arms were occupied. Aiden jumped onto his broom, and took off to join the team. Both captains and Mat soon followed.

The game began. Aiden found himself circling the sky just above the playing field, watching the game more than looking for the snitch. It'd show up sooner of later, and he'd find it when it did. The Gryffindor was much more interested in the game going on below him; his first real Quidditch game. Well, a scrimmage, but it was still the first time the boy had seen two teams playing together. Aiden quickly glanced at the opponent Slytherin to be sure he hadn't seen anything – and found him leaning back on his broom, watching the game just as intently as the raven haired boy planned to. So, he turned to the game.

Slytherin and Gryffindor players seemed pretty well-matched. Both teams managed to gain a hold of the quaffle and hold on to it long enough to get to the opposite side, yet neither side could score on the other. The quaffle just went from one side to the other, like a game of exchanging cards or phone numbers.

"Duck, you idiot!" Aiden dropped a few feet, just in time to see what looked like a cannonball whiz past his head. Aiden turned from the Bludger (or where it had been) to the player who called to him, only to find Mat staring oddly just below Aiden's broom. The Gryffindor looked down and raced after the glint of gold that caught in his eyes. The long-haired boy gave a little shake of his head and followed after the gold speck. Both players raced after it as they had during their first flying lesson, bumping and pushing each other incoherently. Cheers from the Gryffindor team could be heard as they scored on the Slytherins.

Mat grabbed the neck of Aiden's robes, and pulled up. Aiden, holding onto his broom in an effort to not be dropped however many, many feet to the ground, turned on Mat as he lost sight of the snitch.

"What the hell was that for, Riddle?" The raven-haired boy was furious, and barely noticed the bludger that just passed the position Aiden would have been in if he had continued his dive.

"You might want to keep going, Potter. The bludger's been hexed." Mat said coolly, looking down. The bludger had taken a long turn up, and flew after the Gryffindor. Mat yelled back at his team over the shouts of the Gryffindors. "Oi, Zenobius, we've got a problem!"

Aiden flew upwards, heading back towards the rest of the team. The bludger was gaining on him, and he didn't know how to stop it. But he could avoid it.

The first time the raven-haired boy had ever sat on a broom, at age six, he'd immediately started intricate weaves that would have made any professional Quidditch player proud. Here, the same boy five years older resumed that child-like euphoria, and started on those complicated loops and twirls again, managing to dodge the stone ball that couldn't make many easy turns. The beaters from both teams had flown down, and were trying to keep the ball off Aiden with little success.

"Just catch the bloody ball!" Mat had gotten fed up with the beaters' attempts to hit the ball off-course and flew his broom towards Aiden, who'd stopped his summersaults when the beaters arrived, and instead just simply dodged with a turn of the broom.

Mat judged the distance from his broom to the ground. "Fly a bit lower, and catch my broom for me." Aiden complied, confused but eager to end this thing with the revengeful bludger. As they got lower, Mat waved quickly to a Slytherin beater, presumably Zenobius, and watched.

Zenobius hit the ball back towards Mat more than Aiden, even though it was changing its course on its own. As the ball got close to Aiden, Mat jumped off his broom predator-style, lunging at the bludger. He wrapped his arms around it as he fell to the ground. A very dumbfounded Aiden reached to grab hold of the now empty broom hovering beside him, staring at the boy falling to the ground. Zenobius, wand out, cast a quick levitating charm on the Slytherin seeker so he wouldn't fall too hard. And, surprisingly, he landed on his feet.

Every player still in the air landed; Zenobius, Mahli, and the Gryffindor team captain, Griffin, landed near Mat. Aiden walked over just as the Slytherin beater spelled the ball still.

"Someone has a grudge against Aiden, that's for sure." Griffin was sending glares at the Slytherin seeker, the suspicion obvious.

"If I wanted to kill him I wouldn't risk my ass trying to save his." Mat was re-doing his ponytail, soothing out the hair that had escaped while flying - and falling.

"Don't blame our team. You know as well as I that we agreed four years ago to leave personal grudges off the field. Quidditch isn't the time when we kill each other." Mahli glared at the Gryffindor captain, the tone of his voice insulted, and just a little bit hurt.

"Think it could have been someone not on either team? Maybe another student?" Aiden suggested. The Gryffindor remembered the attack the other night, that Death Eater who wanted to kill him. And that cat who saved him who'd just disappeared.

"You, Potter, have horrible luck when on a broom. I assume practice is over for today?" Upon Mahli's affirmative, Mat took off his outer Quidditch jersey, revealing a long sleeved turtleneck underneath. It wasn't tight-fitting, but it wasn't loose either, and Aiden couldn't help but stare.

_When did he get so skinny? Does he even eat?_ The raven-haired boy's thoughts ended, however, when he was hit over the head with a broomstick handle as Mat walked away. Aiden hadn't even noticed when the Slytherin had taken the broomstick back, but the way he moved was damn graceful. As if the long haired boy had taken ballet for 20 years of his life.

"Okay, everyone, I know we didn't get much practice in, but I think we've had enough for the day, what with our seeker almost being killed. Practice is over, but our first game is in two weeks. Rest up, and be ready for double practice tomorrow!" Griffin kicked into the air, chasing after the remaining bludger, which was attacking a nearby bird in absence of the Quidditch players.

Everyone started walking off the field, and Aiden turned form watching his captain to head inside as well. It was close to lunch, and the boy was starving. _Although not quite as hungry as Riddle must be._

When Aiden entered the Great Hall, Riddle wasn't anywhere in sight.

XXXXX

By evening, the entire school had heard about the mad bludger, and rumors were flying out of control. Some went as far as to say Aiden was knocked 300 feet off his broom and Mat jumped after him to get the jacket. They say the fall killed them both.

They few students who believed such a rumor fell out of their chair when the Gryffindor seeker walked into the Great Hall for dinner that day.

The Slytherin one could be found on a high tower, keeping a very tolerant Ravenclaw from his own dinner.

"What exactly happened with the mad bludger, Mat? People say it killed you. I find that hilarious, and yet completely possible for you to die in the morning and haunt me in the afternoon." Balendin giggled, and bit into the bread that the long haired boy offered him.

"I'll keep that in mind when I die. I'm pretty sure it was that same man. Why mess with a bludger though? It seems too simple." Mat sighed and stared at the lake through the tower window. "And why exactly would I want to haunt you anyway?"

"You're right. You'd rather haunt Potter. Hey, don't hit a blind guy for making a joke!" Balendin swung back at Mat and managed to knock him off the small window ledge he was sitting on.

"You don't seem that blind to me." Mat picked himself up off the ground and pulled out his charms homework. "I don't talk about him **that** much, you know."

"Enough to know what classes he has with you, when he has Quidditch practice, why he's too stupid to finish his homework in the library until well after curfew…Really, Mat, you're practically a stalker."

"I have ulterior motives. I don't plan on fucking the boy, Balendin. If you could see I'd tell you to get the image out of your head."

"Oh, I may be blind, but it is a beautiful image." Balendin laughed, and Mat glared at him. "Oh, come on. With your attitude, I have to have fun somehow. And Potter jokes are perfect."

"Save them for when he's around. Even you can feel pleasure in his response. That stupid little face makes me want to laugh every time."

XXXXX

The weeks following the mad bludger brought Aiden not just extra Quidditch practice for the upcoming game, but insults from the Slytherins ranging from a one to an eight on a scale of ten. Most were about Aiden pushing Mat off his broom, or being too dumb to just spell the bludger away. Some of the heavier ones, however, came from the older Slytherin students.

This particular Saturday, Aiden really didn't want to hear any of it. So he went down to breakfast trying to ignore all thoughts except his anticipation for the first real Quidditch game he'd be able to play – Syltherin verse Gryffindor in the afternoon.

"Hey Potter, think you'll be able to save yourself during the next Quidditch game, or will a Slytherin have to do it for you?" Two fifth year girls giggled, but continued eating their breakfast. They whispered to each other in between bites, giggled more, and whispered to the Syltherins surrounding them to produce a laughing fit near the south end of the Slytherin table.

"You figure after two weeks they'd give it up, but no." Jayden sat down next to the anxious Gryffindor seeker, shaking his head in the general direction of the laughing fit.

"I just want to do well in the game." Aiden took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his already messy hair. "I don't want another reason for him to taunt me."

"Him as in…the Slytherin Prince?" Jayden mumbled through a mouth filled with eggs on toast.

"Exactly." Aiden sighed and wiped off the crumbs that landed on his cloak from Jayden's toast, half hanging out of his mouth.

"Potter, no matter what you do, he will find something to taunt you about. Like that hair, or, say, your choice in company." The particular speaker had come from practically no where, and was staring disdainfully at the eating habits of one said Gryffindor sitting next to Aiden. "Although, I must say I've seen worse manners."

"Riddle." Aiden turned around to stare at the long haired boy, annoyed that he picked now to get him riled, right before the game. "I don't think my company is any worse than yours."

Aiden took a bite of his toast, purposely leaving it hanging half out of his mouth to taunt the Slytherin. The provoked boy grinned, snatched the piece of toast from Aiden (while it was still in his mouth), and bit into it as he walked off towards the Slytherin table.

Aiden watched the long haired boy walk off, actually eating the toast that had been in his mouth. Even Jayden put his food down on his plate instead of letting it dangle, a little too freaked to say anything. The raven haired boy, after processing what had just occurred, looked to his plate and decided not to finish it.

"I think I've had enough for now. And I don't think I'll eat toast every again." Both Gryffindors walked out of the Great Hall and headed towards the Quidditch pitch. The time for the game had arrived.

XXXXX

Cheers from the stand could he heard high above the Quidditch pitch. Aiden was on his broom, circling lazily over the field, watching the game while keeping an eye out for a tiny glint of gold. The Slytherin seeker, Aiden was glad to note, was on the other side of the field, keeping more attention on the poor sight of the forest than the game. AIden stopped, and swung his broom around. What was so interesting about the forbidden forest? From what the Gryffindor could see, absolutely nothing. It was most likely the idea of getting into trouble, knowing Slytherins.

Aiden knew goals were being scored on both sides, and he was almost sucked into the game, until a small glint caught on the corner of his glasses. A small, golden light flashes by the seeker's eyes, and he raced after it before his mind processed what the light actually was. A quick glance to his side revealed that the thinner seeker was by his side, having seen the glint from across the field. The Gryffindor focused his eyes on the golden glint, following the small snitch wherever it went. The corner of his glasses reflected the Slytherin seeker getting pummeled by a bludger sent from his team, loosing grip on his broom. Aiden reached out him arm, grabbing through the air. The seeker turned his broom, racing after the quickly falling Slytherin.

Mat had, in the meantime, pulled out his wand, casting a spell whose words were lost to the rush of the wind. The broom he had been so cruelly knocked off of came racing behind him, faster than the seeker still on his broom. Once the broom was within reach for Mat, he grabbed it, swinging it under his legs. His arm raced over Aiden, using his momentum as well as the momentum of the broom underneath him to attempt a full stop. The long haired boy's face looked confused, then he frowned. Releasing the raven-haired boy, he headed down towards the bottom of the Quidditch pitch.

Aiden gently uncurled two of his fingers, looking at the struggling snitch in his hand. A grin grew widely on his face, and he threw his arm up into the air, screaming. He'd caught the snitch, and given the extra one hundred and fifty points given for catching it, his team has won by a mere ten points.

Aiden had helped his team win in Quidditch. He'd caught the hard to find snitch. He'd avoided all bodily damage done by bludgers. He'd beaten the light brown haired seeker who was out to torment him. Aiden had won. If only he had managed to have had breakfast this morning.

XXXXX

The cheers in the Common Room were loud, echoing in the hall outside. Students grimaced as they walked past the Gryffindor entrance, upset at the loud noise they created. It was only a Quidditch game – what was the big deal?

Long light brown hair swayed as the first year walked past, headed the long way to the library. His ears heard the cheers, along with the echo of silence within the halls surrounding the painting. Students had begun to avoid the surrounding hallways like a plague, irritated at the noise. The long haired student looked down both corridors, sniffed the air twice, and continued along his way to the library.

Within the Common Room, the noise was deafening. Several Gryffindor students, the older ones, had stalked off to their respective rooms to attempt some form of quiet in which to do their homework. Most students celebrated, and the form of one small, first year seeker was on the shoulders of his team's beaters.

"Whoo! We always knew Potters did us good. Best darn seekers around, they are!"

"Hell yeah! Surprising little buggers, but damn good seekers!"

Similar comments spread about the room, until the seeker was dropped. Kaylee had one of the beaters by the ear, yelling at him. Several students catcalled, and Aiden made his way to the edge of the room. Jayden looked up at his friend, frowning.

"Hey, you done the Transfiguration homework yet? I've no clue where to begin." Jayden stared at his roll of parchment, hoping his fifteen inch essay would write itself. Aiden picked up his and Jayden's bags from the floor by his friend's feet, and headed towards the Common Room entrance.

"I haven't started yet, but we'll never get to work in here." Jayden got up to follow. They both exited before a loud bang was heard and the Common Room was covered in a thin, orange substance that tasted oddly like a new product released from The Weasly Wizard Wheezes. Jayden slowly took his bag from Aiden.

The two boys made their way to the library, settling down in one of the few unoccupied tables. At a table across from them sat a student the raven haired boy recognized as from Ravenclaw. The weirdest wizard Aiden have ever seen – he was actually blind.

There were two sets of things set at the Ravenclaw's table. A blue bag which sat at the feet of the blind wizard, and a darn green one sitting on the floor opposite. Aiden ignored the words coming from Jayden's mouth as he inspected the other table. There were books that didn't look to be first year level, accompanied by books that were defiantly on the first year shopping list. The blind boy looked over at their table, and Aiden's brain snapped back to reality.

"Yeah, I can help you. Of course, it's only what was reiterated to me. I didn't have a clue where to start either." It was weird, listening to the Ravenclaw talk. He would look in the general direction you were, but he wouldn't look _at_ you. It was more like looking_ through_ you, without even noticing that you were there to begin with. It was not something Aiden could get used to anytime soon.

"Yeah, thanks, Balendin. You're a lifesaver." Jayden praised the Ravenclaw, smiling widely. "Leave it to a Ravenclaw to know the answer, especially a Ravenclaw with friends in higher years than him."

"No, actually. I got help from a first year. I'd hand you the book he used, but I'm not exactly sure which one it was. The information was from chapter 4, though." Balendin tilted his head, listening to the faint footsteps. "He's back, so you can ask him for help. He's a lot better at this stuff than I am." Balendin smiled at the other first year sat down.

Aiden turned away, staring at the open textbook in front of him. Why did it have to be _him_? Aiden stopped thinking for a few seconds, and turned back towards the blind wizard, who had quickly rehashed the request for help from the Gryffindors.

"This might sound dumb, but…how did you know he was back?" Aiden watched Balendin's smile widen.

"Light footsteps, barely audible even to my ears. Strong scent of earth, swish sounds of long hair that smells like shampoo." Balendin knew he was pissing off the Slytherin sitting besides him, but they had a love-hate relationship. If they weren't teasing Potter, it was the Slytherin who was teased. And the best part? Mat refused to actually harm the only friend he'd made. "Definite trademarks of Mat Riddle."

"You want help? This book." Mat handed over a thick book to Aiden, displeased with his friend. "I'll see you later, Balendin. Don't go around telling everyone I smell like earth and shampoo. I just might have to tell everyone you smell like owls." The Slytherin grabbed his bag and exited the library, headed towards the astronomy tower. After loosing the Quidditch match, he was afraid to head back to his dorm.

Aiden laughed, Balendin smirked, and Jayden flipped through the textbook like a madman, desperate to find chapter 4. Slowly Aiden turned back to his frantic friend, thinking. _Earth and shampoo?_ It was the first time anyone had been described in such a way, and it intrigued Aiden more than he thought is should. Then again, he'd also never thought about Riddle in any way other than annoying, unnecessary evil.


	6. Chapter 4

It's been a while since I"ve updated! I haven't been working much on this story, and this chapter, along with the other three or so I plan on releasing right after it, have already been up on my LJ for a while. But, I'll work on it more, I hope. XD

I get more work done during the school year than summer. Man, I need someone who makes me write. XD

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Listen to the Voice, Whisper to me the Truth**

Aiden spent most of his time on homework. Well, he _attempted_ to spend most of his time doing homework.

_Potter, your time is up. We can't let you change him anymore._

It rang through his head every time he sat down to work on his assignments. Who was he supposed to be changing? This was important, Aiden knew that. Not many adults would come onto Hogwarts wearing cloaks like that, and especially not in masks. They were on the outlawed list of Filch's. Aiden knew he should tell someone about the attack, yet he did not yet trust the adults at Hogwarts. Not until he knew them, anyway. Thus, having found no one else to trust this information with, Aiden was sitting in the Gryffindor Common Room, whispering to Jayden about the attack that seemed to happen so long ago.

"Whoah, a Death Eater attacked you? Seriously?" Jayden's eyes were almost as wide as a kitten's.

"Death Eater? Wait, a death eater attacked me? How can you tell it was one of them?" Aiden was sheltered most of his life. He was told of Death Eaters, but not how to distinguish between a normal wizard and a follower. Both Hermione and Ron would drop their eyes and avoid the subject like the plague.

"The mask! All Death Eaters have long black cloaks and masks. It's like their trademark clothing. The masks apparently depict the rank, too. A more detailed mask would be a higher subordinate. What did the Death Eater say? I gotta know. This is so cool!" Jayden looked like a little kid on Christmas morning. Or a kitten on catnip.

"How's it supposed to be cool? I got attacked by a Lord Voldemort wanna-be!" Aiden made sure not to raise his voice. Aiden didn't want to be overheard, especially when talking about such a dangerous topic.

Jayden fell out of his chair. His eyes were, if possible, even wider, and his mouth hung open.

"He-who-must-not-be-named! You can't say his name, it's forbidden!"

Slowly the Gryffindor heaved himself back into his seat, more fear in his eyes at the single name than the actual threat against his best friend. His mouth had been closed, and his eyes narrowed. Jayden leaned closer to Aiden, wanting a quieter conversation.

"Hermione always said that fear of a name is silly. To fear a name is to fear a person who, at this point, may not even..." Aiden couldn't bring himself to finish. To say Voldemort didn't exist would be to acknowledge that his father was gone too. The young boy's eyes glossed over, and he sighed deeply before pulling himself back into the world in front of him. More people were filing into the room, chattering about this or that. The seeker wanted nothing more than a simple life with his father.

"Let's not talk about that right now. Say, what's the theory behind turning a match into a needle?"

_Potter, your time is up. We can't let you change him anymor_e.

Even as the young boy laid down to sleep that night, it still rang loud and clear.

XXXXX

The door opened in the middle of double potions, and Professor McGonagall walked into the room, carrying a thin stack of papers. Aiden stole a glace at the two teachers in the front of the room exchanging words before turning back to his potion. They were working on a simple sleeping drought, trying to restock the basic of basic potions within the nurse's cabinet. Aiden had, by choice, decided to work with Jayden, partners within this class having been assigned purely by the students. His partner elbowed the raven haired boy from beside him, intently watching the teachers. Professor Nagandra, a young, dark auror sent from the Ministry to be the potions teacher, did not look happy about the interruption in her class. Her lips were pursed, her hands on her hips, and the pen that was in her hand had landed on her desk, beside her newly disregarded clipboard. The young woman, however upset she could and should be, however, only stared at the paperwork her senior showed her. Her already thin face looked unnatural when her eyes bugged, and she glanced around the room. Her eyes locked on the only long haired male Slytherin within the room, and she turned back to the papers. Slowly, she handed them back to the older teacher, and sat down, head resting on her hands and she went back to watching the students brew a simple potion. She did not pick up her pen, and only moments later her eyes glossed over again, thoughts running away to only she knows where.

Professor McGonagall walked down the middle isle towards Mat, nodded her head once, and gently placed the paperwork on his desk. "You're required to demonstrate. The details of the time and date are within the paperwork. Your successful demonstration will provide the means for approval." That said, she walked briskly out of the room, leaving a bored Slytherin to flip through the papers she left on his desk on his own.

Aiden's attention was quickly pulled back to his cauldron as it exploded. Green slime dripped off his clothes, Jayden's hand numb in the air. It was covered with the puke green slime, and remained in the position it had been in when only seconds ago it had dropped the wrong ingredient into the potion. Jayden himself stood numbly, still attempting to read the small font on the papers across the room.

"Jayden Abbott! Where are you watching? Keep your mind on the potion!" Professor Nagandra did not miss the explosion. Looking around the room, Aiden realized the only student who hadn't heard the explosion was Jayden himself. Even Mat was staring at the mess. "Detention for a week, Mr. Abbott! And do not expect it to go easily!" Nagandra pulled out her wand and with a quick wave, washed away the mess. Jayden's eyes had finally turned away from the paperwork as it was slid into the Slytherin's bag, only to find the teacher had not cleaned his clothes of the sticky goo.

XXXXX

"Come-on! You can't leave me alone in detention!" Jayden was whining more than Kaylee on a bad morning. The raven haired boy next to him was attempting to mark down the position of Venus in the sky, as per the instructions for the class. So far, he'd only managed to mark down three of the sixteen main arguments within his friend's speech.

"There's never a guarantee you'll get detention at the same time, or with the same people." Kaylee popped out of nowhere and dropped off an envelop in front of Jayden, smirking. "Detention with Nagandra, head of the Slytherins. It's said the only two people to favor Slytherins more than she does were Snape and Salazar Slytherin himself. Good luck surviving." Kaylee flounced away, her red curls bouncing with each step. Jayden's hand hesitated before picking up the envelop by it's corner, holding it as if it contained a plague.

"Look, Jayden. I'd rather not have detention if I can avoid it. I'm far enough behind on homework as it is. I need the time to catch up." Aiden was quiet, with his eye almost glued to the telescope in front of him. Finally, the Gryffindor had spotted Venus, a bright star in the dark, clouded night. Jayden's voice was drowned out in his ears as he moved away from the telescope, staring into the night sky. Venus still shone bright through the clouds, even without the equipment's clear focus.

_You'll see things our way again soon, don't worry._

Looking at this night sky, Aiden found it hard to believe anyone would willingly side with the dark. The star's light stood unwavering as the night seemed to shift like a sea around it. Such a bold, strong star stood as hope within the youth's heart.

XXXXX

The next day was spent catching up on homework. Aiden woke up early, packed every piece of homework he could find, and started the day.

His night was research. The young boy had managed to finish homework during dinner, having given up lunch and breakfast to meet his goal. Tonight, Aiden would research. It had been what seemed like weeks since his last nighttime study, since the Death Eater attack. It seemed so much a dream, the gryffindor found it hard to believe it had really happened. He still hadn't told anyone other than Jayden. But really, a panther? Aiden was tempted to believe it came from the forest, yet in all honesty he knew better. The dark cat came from inside the castle, and stalked off to some desolate location _inside_ the castle. That long ago night had brought nothing new to Aiden's search. Nothing helpful, nothing wanted. Tonight would be better.

Useful.

The raven-haired boy quickly made his way to the library, into the already well-known section of locating spells, charms, and curses. The books shifted often, rotated not only by the librarian but the library itself. The magic in Hogwarts left no book untouched.

Aiden pulled down a small, green covered book, flipping it open to the first few pages. After staring at the left page for five precious minutes, he finally realized it wasn't a strange spell written on the page. The book was simply written in French.

Setting back the small book, the young boy pulled down another one. Luckily, this one was in English, though old English. The youth set the book in the crook of his arm, pulling down another. Any book that may be helpful he would look at all at once, while seated at a table.

The boy quickly had his arms full, weighted down by heavy tomes. His night was spent reading most of the books, page by agonizing page. Many useless spells later (and much, much more pages describing the spells that were, in definition and practice, useless to Aiden), the Gryffindor stood, making his way out of the library. A quick glance at his watch clarified the young man's thoughts; he was out past bedtime. Getting back would be difficult. Not impossible, but difficult.

Aiden took the lesser known hallways towards the Gryffindor tower, hoping the teachers wouldn't find him there. He strained to hear any noises which would indicate a teacher or caretaker. Especially Filch or Mrs. Norris. The hallways, devoid of people, were eerily silent. His quiet footfalls echoed in the halls.

Quite a while passed before the Gryffindor ran into any signs of life. He had begun to get careless, ignoring the small shadows along the walls and concentrating only on getting back. He had forgotten why he was taking the unknown hallways in the first place.

A small bell first alert the raven haired boy that he wasn't alone. It was an almost silent chime that reverberated throughout the hallway. The sound scared the lean seeker, a quiet noise he almost hadn't caught. Aiden looked around, yet could not spot the source of the sound. The seeker's mind raced to thoughts he didn't even think were understandable; from Death Eaters, to Filch, to students, to chains, and ending on that sleek, black panther. He got as close to the wall as he could, still looking for the source. The wall, he knew, was no cover for him, standing there in his white, almost glowing shirt. The bell sounded again, a little louder than before. Aiden's heart was racing, pounding hard in his chest. He found couldn't hear anymore chiming of the bell amongst the beating organ within his ears.

A rough hand jerked him back behind a statue as Mrs. Norris appeared around the corner, sniffing the air. Her whiskers twitched, her nose scrunched, and her front paw reached out forward, hanging in the air. Her tail twitched, and she headed straight towards the statue.

Aiden was turned around, a strong hand on the back of his head forcing his face into a man's shoulder. He could not turn his head, the smell of wet earth filling his senses. The tingling of the bell was back, loud enough to drown out his heart and locate the feline. Mrs. Norris was right in front of him, and he knew it. He could hear Mrs. Norris open her mouth, raising her hackles to begin meowing loudly. There was a strong hissing besides Aiden's ear, coming from the man holding the Gryffindor down. Time seemed to stop, and no sounds were made. The seeker found himself holding his breath, waiting for the impending feline screech.

What he heard in return was the fading sound of a cat bell.

When the raven haired boy was released, he turned towards the fading echo. Mrs. Norris had run away, without a single peep. The boy turned his head towards his so called "rescuer", and his throat went dry.

"You may want to continue. We aren't safe yet."

The voice was quiet and stern yet did not echo through the halls. The seeker in front of him moved smoothly from behind the statue, grabbing the stunned male's hand and pulling him forward. Aiden could do nothing but let the other boy lead, adrenaline keeping his mouth sealed. His legs seemed to barely remember how to walk.

They went through several hallways without hiding once. They went through several more where they had to stop, the thinner male listening to the sounds of the night. Only once more did they run into trouble, mistaking the archway for a hallway and not the open classroom that it was. Peeves was busy setting up another prank of his, dropping chains loudly from the ceiling to the floor, before picking them up again and attempting to glue them to the ceiling. The noise was, in the ghost's mind, worth the useless glue he was employing. He turned his head towards the archway when he realized he wasn't alone.

"Ohhh, icky firsties. What shall Peeves do with you?" He sang in a high pitched, scratchy voice. "I think I'll sick the cats on you!" He'd dropped from the ceiling, hovering a few feet in front of the two boys.

"You're out of tune, Peeves. And Mrs. Norris won't be coming around here tonight." Fluid, strong voice, unafraid of punishment, coming from the person leading the seeker back safely. Aiden was beginning to get jealous.

_Jealous? What am I thinking? Jeez, Aiden. Get a hold of yourself. I just hope we get out of this alright. And no way in hell am I thanking this jerk._

"Firsties that talk back? Oh, I'm hurt! You insulted my singing!" The poltergeist faked a dramatic death, landing on the ground in a sprawl. His voice echoed through the empty hallway behind them, and once the echo had gone silent, Peeves had sunk through the floor.

The laugh that followed echoed loud and clear, a sign that Peeves had been there and was intent on leaving his mark.

"Keep moving." An order, not a request, of the other male.

Aiden was pushed back through the archway, towards the hallway, and up the stairs at the end of it. Slowly, and much, much more carefully, the two boys made their way towards the Gryffindor tower. The taller boy made sure they ran into no more problems, checking his watch every few minutes to ensure they hadn't been in one place too long. Eventually, they made it to Gryffindor tower, and stopped in front of the portrait.

"Here. Go. Lest they catch you in the remaining four second walk through the hole."

As sarcastic as ever.

"Hey, how exactly do you plan on getting back? Getting here wasn't easy in the first place."

Aiden stopped in front of the entrance, posing his question. As much as he hated the kid, it didn't seem right to give up his safety to risk the possibility of his "saver's" detention.

"I'm better at this than you are, Potter. Believe me; I won't have a problem getting back."

And the lean seeker stalked off, wearing his usual Riddle smirk.

Aiden shrugged, annoyed and hoping the Slytherin would get caught. _It would serve him right._

At least tonight had been somewhat helpful. Within the bag around his shoulder, the Gryffindor had his notebook covered in material. Books that had been recommended by useless books, and spells that, given practice and quite a bit of editing, may give him a start to finding his father.

The young boy whispered the password to a very sleepy Fat Lady, and entered through the portrait hole confident that he would have better days ahead of him.

His confidence was shattered as he looked up, straight into the stern face of Professor McGonagall.

"Good morning, Mr. Potter. I believe we have to talk…"

XXXXX

Even as the young boy went to bed, his detention notice evident within the next few days, he couldn't get the scent of wet earth out of his mind.

XXXXX

Nights later found the seeker sitting atop the Ravenclaw tower, the tallest tower within Hogwarts. He had a coat on around his small shoulders, warming him from the now settling fall cold. His dreams took him up here, where he could gaze into the dark night sky without worry. Teachers did not come out here at night, fearful of the cold.

Sleep wasn't easy. Dreams attacked him at night, leaving him to wake up sweating. Gryffindor tower was easy enough to go back to, a silent calling to the sleepy seeker. He did not go back until early morning, and even then avoided any attention. His own actions were confusing him, and not just those of this week.

Since coming to Hogwarts, so many things had made themselves known. So many aspects of the world that he did not know about. Flying on a broom, Death Eaters on school campus, rumors sent through the hallways. Girls; especially the girls who spread the rumors. They were the pretty ones, sadly. The beautiful girls who cared too much about their looks and other people's actions to care about their grades. He sighed, exhaustion washing over him.

Often the young boy had found himself here, on this tower. Only at night, and only when he could see the stars. There was one bright star that shone over the dark depths of the sky. Even when it was surrounded by the night, dark looming clouds washing over the sky. It stood out brightly, shining for everyone who watched it.

He didn't want to go back to dreaming. His dreams had turned on him. Vivid, dark, and violent. Death Eaters would appear in his classes, cursing him. Yelling at him. And they were everywhere.

Masks of all designs, ornate and not. Golden masks, silver masks. Green masks. He wasn't sure which scared him more, the masks or the men themselves. He knew none of the things they said were the truth. They would promise safety, provisions, and ranking. They would promise things they could not, and did not want, to give.

The moon shone brightly in the sky, standing still next to the bright star. The moon did not seem to have the same feelings. Its glow would waver, as if the giant star was attempting to talk. The words would flow through the seeker, almost audible. Almost words. So, so sweet.

What was he supposed to do? The boy didn't know if he really wanted to make his next step. He didn't know what his next step was. His dreams would tell him were to go, the moon would whisper directions in his ear.

Perhaps this is why he was sitting here, quiet and still. To fall asleep under the stars, listening to the moon.

Venus shone brighter than anything in the sky, giving the young seeker hope for the future.


	7. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 – Doing Things the Magical Way**

When the students awoke on a late October morning, the school seemed much more magical than it had all year. Not magical in the sense of doing things that normally can't be done, but magical in a different sense.

In a Halloween sense.

For that's what had happened to Hogwarts. With only a week remaining until Halloween, the school had transformed itself into a large, dark, seemingly abandoned castle, which somehow still had a very clean, brand new effect. The ghosts were more present than ever, and the armor seemed to move through the hallways, switching with this set or that one every hour without really switching at all. Portraits were not hung where they belonged, and even Filch did not complain when things were moved from one spot to another, as long as the students weren't the ones moving things.

Come dinner that day, the current headmaster of Hogwarts Sacheverell Rydon stood up to make an announcement. The thin ex-auror smiled brightly to everyone in the Great Hall, knowing that no one had skipped dinner that night. He had many of the qualities the late Dumbledore possessed, and utilized them in much the same way. After all, it was his likeness to the older wizard which had appointed him his current job.

"Due to a large popularity vote on behalf of the seventh years, who for several years wished for a ball that all could enjoy…"

Rydon was cut off as most upperclassmen in the school cheered. Whoops of joy echoed within the Great Hall, and the headmaster just smiled. Soon the students quieted, though talk could still be heard amongst the tables.

"As I was saying," the tall headmaster continued. "The seventh years have long awaited a ball that all years could attend. Thanks to a generous donation by Mr. Gimbee's family, Hogwarts will, this year, be hosting a Halloween masked ball for years one through seven."

And once again, the Great Hall's noise volume rose above the norm, and even the somber Slytherins were loud enough for a few dozen babies.

XXXXX

A small envelope was placed in front of Aiden as Transfiguration class began. Professor McGonagall did not smile. She walked away as sternly as she had walked up, calling the class to order. The young boy was afraid to open the envelope, knowing its contents. Beside him, Jayden was pulling out parchment and a quill. Having noticed the letter, the boy reached across the seeker to open it.

"Ahh, lucky! You have detention with Hagrid. Why couldn't I get detention with Hagrid?" Jayden exclaimed rather loudly. Upon the stares of the class, and the professor, he lowered his voice. "I wonder what kind of detention you have to do."

The seeker frowned as he pulled out his own quill and ink. "I'm not sure. What class does he teach? It's probably something in that range." Aiden dipped his quill into the ink, writing on Jayden's parchment.

"Sometimes I wonder about you." Jayden laughed quietly as he pulled out another sheet of parchment. "Getting detention, stealing parchment, staying up late to study; It's almost like you're an actual student and not… human." Jayden quickly scribbled down what the teacher was saying, looking off his friend's paper for the words he'd missed.

"Since when have students been anything but human? Your logic almost makes me worry about you." Aiden chuckled to himself, making sure not to miss a word of the lecture. He moved his paper a little more to the right to make it easier to see for his rather deaf friend.

"Then we can worry about each other together. Hah, now we just need detention together…" the youth trailed off.

"Oh, not more of that again, please. I have enough detention as it is." Aiden re-dipped his quill, glancing up at the professor before he continued writing.

"…is the theory. I think Gryffindor would appreciate the knowledge of where the next point loss is coming from. Potter, Abbot. Ten points each. I'd appreciate it if the only voice in this room during a lecture was mine."

Both Gryffindors remained silent for the rest of the class.

XXXXX

By lunch time, Jayden hadn't given up his complaints about detention.

"Did you notice how they went easy on you? Your detention isn't even until after the ball. I mean, how much better can that be?"

"Ooh, Aiden got detention? Who's he serving it with?" Kaylee plopped down across the boys at the Gryffindor table, piling food onto her plate.

"Hagrid. Hey, what class does he teach, anyway?" Aiden was, although dreading detention, in a relatively good mood. Jayden's complaints just seemed more ridiculous as the minutes passed, and the seeker found he couldn't help but laugh at them.

"That's right, you wouldn't know, would you? He's the Care of Magical Creatures professor, as well as the Gameskeeper. You guys take that class in third for the first time. Ahh, the memories blast-ended skrewts have…" Kaylee giggled, putting another forkful of whatever had been on her plate into her mouth.

"We take Gameskeeper classes in third year?" Jayden's mouth hung open, horrified at the thought.

"No. Jayden…" Aiden couldn't help but laugh, though he leaned back when Kaylee began laughing as well. "Merlin, Kaylee. That's disgusting. I can't even tell what used to be on your plate. Why do you have to mix your food?"

Said redhead swallowed before answering. "Habit from the family, I guess." She resumed piling food on her plate again, mixing it in a very Ronald Weasley fashion.

"Some things are only passed down through blood, I guess." Aiden stuck his fork in his mashed potatoes, deciding he no longer wanted to eat his still identifiable food. Looking beside him to the rather quiet best friend, he found Jayden eating much the same way Kaylee was. _No wonder he's quiet… _the raven haired youth thought to himself.

XXXXX

The school buzzed with news of the ball. Girls flocked together, making it no easier to ask one to the ball. Two Gryffindors were found on the dreary Thursday waiting in the hallways for any girl they could ask.

"I don't see why we need dates anyway. It's just a ball. And a masked one, at that." Aiden was complaining to his friend as another group of giggling girls walked past.

"Would you really want to show up stag? Everyone's gonna have someone. I heard that even your dad had someone at his Yule Ball." Jayden turned around to face the raven-haired youth. "Or are you saying you'd rather your dad had a better dating reputation than you?"

Aiden scoffed. "I was born, wasn't I? I'm eleven. Why would I need a better rep now?" He stared at the floor, pretending not to glance at all the girls. The news of the dance only made they stick together more. Because of that, there seemed to be so many more girls at Hogwarts than there really was.

"Why do they always travel in packs? How do you get one alone to ask them?" Jayden turned towards his friend at a loss. "Geez. Maybe we'll both just go stag."

"There's always Kaylee if you really need someone. She knows just about every girl in this school." Aiden sighed, picking at very visible dust on his robes.

"Ahh, whatever. We'll just have to be amazing at the dance. Steal all the girls." Jayden laughed rather loudly, gaining weird looks from those around him. When the boy blushed, most of the girls pointed at him, covered their mouths, and giggled like there wouldn't be a tomorrow.

XXXXX

Finally, the day for the ball had arrived. Jayden, dressed in a typical vampire outfit, had managed to convince Kaylee to be his date. Kaylee, in her very, very seductive vampiress outfit, had only agreed after her previous date ended up cursed for some very ill placed words regarding his view on vampires.

Aiden donned an elegant cloak, decorated wizard's cap, and a very non-wandish wand. He had gone with a simple wizard outfit, pulled together by old clothes that used to fit his red-haired cousin.

"So lame, Aiden. You're a wizard already. Do something fancy." Kaylee sat down in front of said Gryffindor, crossing her legs and wearing a very arrogant expression. "You know, something…sexy."

Jayden sat down next to his date, smiling. "You're a wizard everyday. Be something different." He looked at his watch, noting the time. "If you want to get there as the doors open, we have to leave in three minutes."

"Thanks for your concern, guys, but I'm not really into fancy. Nor… vampires. I'll do the undead another year." Aiden stood, making his way to the portrait hole. "We might as well leave now, right?"

XXXXX

Once inside the ball, students had become difficult to distinguish between the various creatures at the ball. Centaurs from the forest had been invited, and quite a few had actually shown. Vampires frowned at the poor attempts to mimic their kind, though their moods improved once the firewhisky was brought out. Ghosts floated above everyone, chatting away happily about one topic or another. Aiden found it almost overwhelming.

Looking at the costumes, he realized just how lame his actually was. There were students dressed as gargoyles, animals, vampires, two legged merfolk, demons, and there was even a Lady Godiva who was currently being told to put clothes on.

Aiden sighed, turning towards the quickly filling chairs around several tables that had been laid out. The seeker had gone to the party stag, and although most students were wearing masks, he had neglected to bring one. This was becoming a very lonely dance for the Gryffindor seeker.

A figure sat down in the chair next to him. "A lot, isn't it? It's been hard to navigate, with so many people around."

Aiden looked at the male sitting next to him, turning to get a better view. Balendin was smiling at him through a very well done bat costume. His ears, nose, and eyes had been morphed, as well as his teeth. He had an incredibly bat-like look, and it almost scared the Gryffindor how well the costume fit. "You look really good. Defiantly very batish."

"Thanks. Mat did it. That boy was born for transfiguration, I swear." The Ravenclaw laughed, his face full of joy despite the contorted appearance. "He said he'd stay with me here, with so many people around. But when all those girls walked up, I just couldn't stay."

Aiden looked around, attempting to spot the Slytherin. Finally, he saw the other seeker, surrounded by girls wearing all different designs of costume. The thin boy had dressed much like a dark-haired Veela, clothes and make-up well placed to give a bird-like appearance. It almost seemed as if he would screech at you should you upset him. The boy was smirking as usual, most likely flirting.

"He seems… happy?" Aiden shook his head, weary at the thought of the Slytherin seeker. "I know this will seem dumb, but how did you know it was a bunch of girls?"

"Perfume. Waayyyy too much perfume." Balendin laughed again, still smiling. "I'm lucky I found someone away from the crowds. All the smells were getting to me. Took forever for me to pick out one I recognized."

"Recognized? Mine?" Aiden continued upon the confirmation from the Ravenclaw. "What exactly do I smell like?"

"Metal, I guess. Gold. Though there are some days when you're in a really good mood, and you smell like cookies. Faintly, but it's there." The Ravenclaw appeared to look out over the crowd, his sightless eyes evaluating each student they fell upon. "Don't get me wrong; I don't normally go around smelling people. I just happen to sit behind you in History of Magic. I can smell it whether I want to or not."

"Wow. Gold. Hah. That's amusing." Aiden found himself already improving in mood. A smile formed on his face as he spotted Jayden flirting with one of the many cat girls. Spotting his date a few seconds later, Aiden realized that although the skimpy outfit was not much like a vampire, the vampires seemed to like it well enough. All the students seemed to be happy either on the dance floor or sitting with their friends at the tables.

"Hey, do you want anything to eat or drink? There's Firewhisky somewhere here."

"As appealing as that may be, I think I'll stick with Butterbeer. Alcohol messes with my senses." The Ravenclaw had a perpetual smile on his face, and the simple happiness seemed to seep through to the lonely Gryffindor.

"Two 'Butterbeers it is." The youth got up, wandering towards the refreshment table. Taking two goblets filled with the familiar drink, he headed back, waving to the other students whom had waved to him.

His seat was occupied when he returned. The smile on his face quickly became a scowl, and he set the Butterbeer down in front of Balendin before sitting on the other side of the Ravenclaw.

"Hello, Potter." Mat smirked as he watched the crowd dancing.

"Thanks, Potter." Balendin picked up the goblet, drinking from its contents. After carefully placing it back down, he leaned towards the Slytherin, talking quietly. "Had your fill of women for the night, pretty boy?"

With a glace towards the Gryffindor, "More than some, that's for sure." He stretched, reaching his arms out over his head. "It's still early, but I think I'm done. There's not much interesting here. Besides, teachers are everywhere. You can't do anything here."

"I suppose so. Are you ready to call it a night, though?" The Ravenclaw was still wearing that smile, despite the prick he was conversing with.

"Not by far." The thin boy stood. He started towards the doors to the Great Hall, waving behind him was he walked out. "Later, golden boy Potter. Enjoy your uneventful night!"

Balendin followed Mat out, saying a quick goodbye to the raven-haired boy before leaving. Aiden was left alone again, and rather bored yet again.

Crossing his arms on his chest, he watched the students dance. He half thought to leave as well, calling the night early. Sighing, he stood, ready to make his way out the large double doors.

That's when a small speck of sparkly green caught his eye. Turing to look, he took in one of the best sights he had seen all night. Standing at the edge of a rather large crowd of girls was a faerie, though judging by the outfit she was only a student. Everything about her seemed to sparkle green, from the eye shadow and green highlights in her hair to the fluttering wings on her back, and all the way down to her pointed shoes. Her smile was, perhaps, the best part of her costume. Her lips were glossed over, and her smile was genuine. Aiden couldn't help but smile while watching her.

"She's a Ravenclaw. Second year, if you wanted to know."

The boy jumped. He was reluctant to look away, already knowing the girl who spoke beside him was Kaylee. The second year Ravenclaw was a very stunning sight, and the seeker doubted his cousin would care if he looked or not. As long as he wasn't drooling.

"I'll introduce you to her tomorrow. Her name's Elizabeth. Lucky for you, she's currently unattached."

Aiden felt his heart do a little leap of joy. _Elizabeth…_He liked the sound of it. It flowed nicely, and sounded regal. The name sounded as pretty as the boy found the owner to be.

"I'd like that, if you could introduce us." Aiden was smiling again, all thoughts from earlier that day gone. He had found a girl he decided he really liked, and he's going to actually meet her tomorrow. Tonight was beginning to actually payoff in his mind.

"Around lunch, then. Make yourself easy to find." Kaylee smiled as she turned away, ready to return to the dance floor. "And stop drooling, you silly boy."

XXXXX

Aiden smiled to himself that night, having changed into night clothes and lain down on his bed. The night was defiantly not uneventful. Well, maybe it was, in most senses of the word, but as long as it had meaning, it was enough for the boy.

And boy, did Elizabeth give it meaning.


	8. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 – Detention with a Giant**

When morning came and Aiden awoke, it was with a slightly happier prospect for the day than he should have had. Slowly, he climbed out of bed, trying to hold on to the last remnants of sleep. He sluggishly pulled on his clothes, wandering into the boys' shared bathroom to brush his teeth. Once the cold water from the sink hit his face, all hope of holding onto sleep faded, and Aiden admitted, finally, that a new day had arrived. A new day with detention waiting.

Aiden made his way slowly into the Common Room, noticing how everyone else was still asleep. It was early Saturday morning, and few actually promised to be awake. The boy's stomach grumbled and he grabbed it in an attempt to make it shut up. _Well, breakfast it is_.

After finally making it to the Great Hall, having made several stops to navigate around students who had curled up on the stairs to attempt to get some more sleep before breakfast but who were too lazy to walk all the way back to their beds, Aiden sat down at the near empty Gryffindor table. He piled food onto his plate, suddenly realizing just how hungry he really was. Across from him sat a very grumpy looking Kaylee, who had herself just crawled out of bed and followed Aiden to the food. Neither one spoke as they ate, the lazy morning more than enough to keep students quiet and asleep (for the most part).

Aiden's attention was set for the late morning; he was to meet Hagrid outside of the half-giant's hut. Since the seeker had finished his breakfast and more students were filing into the Great Hall, the raven-haired boy assumed it would be time to head out for his rather long afternoon.

XXXXX

Approaching the hut, Aiden realized Hagrid wasn't the only one standing there, waiting for him. Looking very, very small beside the giant stood the Slytherin seeker, arms crossed and head looking out over the lake. Aiden sighed, knowing the day would be made just so much longer with the other boy present. Mat was the one who got him into this mess in the first place, leading him back at a time when Professor McGonagall was waiting for him. The Gryffindor was beginning to hate the Syltherin more and more each day.

Approaching the half-giant and glaring at his enemy, Aiden gave a brief, quiet greeting.

"Ah, no need ta be afraid, Aiden. You're the splittin' image of your da', you know. Right down to tha' 'air." He let out a large laugh, the smile on his face glowing. "This way, then. We'll be 'elpin' someone learn English. He ain't too good yet, ya know, but your da' used to 'elp, as did 'Ermione and Ron." The half-giant continued to talk well into the forest, leading the way through the dense trees.

Aiden marveled at the forest, frightful in all of its beauty. The trees swayed gently in the wind, leaves rustling together. Small crunching noises could be heard across the way, the animals making them hidden behind thick bushes and brush. The youth couldn't help but look around, wondering why this forest was, after all, forbidden. As far as he could see, it was just a beautiful place, a normal forest beside a large castle.

Hagrid held out his hand, his arm successfully stopping the boys trailing behind him. Aiden glanced to his right, surprised to find the Slytherin uninterested in the forest around him. Loud footsteps got even louder in front of them, and the Gryffindor quickly turned his head forward again.

In front of them ran three centaurs, armor-less and carrying their bows. Two of them looked young, as similar in face as brothers, and the other looked much older. On his face you could still see the once youthful features that were now portrayed on the young centaurs' faces. They nodded to Hagrid in greeting, glancing behind him at the relatively small boys. One of the younger ones laughed, nudging the other young one until he laughed as well. The older one smiled, nodding once again as his ears picked up a sound deeper in the forest. With a quick wave to his boys, the older centaur took off again, pulling an arrow free with his empty hand. The two younger creatures took off after the older centaur, smiling widely at the first years. Their laughter echoed in the tree tops as their hoof beats faded away.

"I'm glad ta see Rowen out with 'is kids. They could use some trainin', still. Well, come on. We've still go' a way ta go." The half-giant flashed another wide smile, waving to the boys to follow once again. Aiden quickly obeyed, tripping over a thick root the other first year easily stepped over.

They walked for another half hour or so before Hagrid stopped them again. This time, however, he turned around to face the boys. "Now, I know I can trust you, Aiden, ya won't say anythin' to anyone outside tha castle. But Riddle, ya got ta promise meh ya won't say nuttin'. I was unsure if ah wanted ta bring ya, at first, but McGonagall told me you were good ta have around if trouble arose. Ya can't tell anyone outside of 'ogwarts, alright?"

The Slytherin nodded, still rather bored. He'd been in the forest before, just a few days ago. That's why he had detention, after all. He'd been caught in the forbidden forest with one of the library's restricted section books, carefully "borrowed" from the library. The Slytherin sighed, wondering just what kind of creature they'd be trying to teach English to.

Hagrid stepped through the trees, parting the little bush that blocked the way. He waited for the boys to follow before calling out to someone. The name he used wasn't a normal, human name.

Hagrid had led the boys to a small clearing within the forest. It looked to be able to fit maybe two or three of Hagrid's huts, the trees and bushes lining the edges having been crushed. The ground beneath them was also crushed, the grass no longer growing upright.

Aiden stared at the ground as it began to shake, realizing the loud crashes in the forest were getting closer to them. He looked up as a deep cry was made; falling backwards as he saw what was coming out at them. The crashing sounds had been footsteps, and in front of Hagrid stood a fully grown giant whom he called Grawp.

Mat stared at the giant, his eyes narrowed. "Figured he'd have a giant in this forest." He smirked.

"Grawppie! I brought you some new friends!"

Hagrid's smile was unmistakable. He really cared for the giant trying to crush him in a hug. Not to say he wouldn't care for any rare creature trying to kill him, but this one seemed to give Hagrid a genuine, family-only smile.

"Kaykay?" The giant's expression was confused. He looked around his half brother, furrowing his brow at the two boys who stood there. "Not Kaykay!" he yelled rather loudly. His face screwed up in anger at the missing girl.

"No, not Kaykay. Kaylee couldn't come today, Grawppie. But you have two new friends! Aiden and Riddle. Aiden's 'Arry's son, Grawp. Do you remember 'Arry?" Hagrid had finally been let down, even happier now than he was before. He was glad Grawp had come to expect Kaylee at their little lessons; he learned well from her, and she was patient enough to teach him.

Aiden's eyes went wide as the giant picked him up. The grip around his waist was tight, and he barely had room to move. "Too…tight…"

"Hmrgph?" Grawp let out as a loud grunt, inspecting the boy he held onto. He lifted him up, moving the slender seeker closer to the giant's face. More confusion jumped around before being replaced with a giant smile. "'Arry! 'Arry, 'Arry!" He was more than excited at the prospect of an old friend. He looked about to jump up and down, boy in his arms included.

"No, Ah told ya Grawp, it's not 'Arry, it's 'is son! Aiden!" Hagrid looked up at Aiden, a helpless expression on his face. "Sorry Aiden. 'Ard time teachin' 'im anythin' new."

"It's alright…professor." Aiden wiggled around a little, trying to find a more comfortable position. Grawp giggled, finding the wriggling thing very, very amusing. His giggle turned into a laugh and the trees nearby swayed at the sound waves attacking them. The Gryffindor stopped moving, having realized there was no "more comfortable" spot. He sighed, looking at the giant whose attention had moved elsewhere. The grip did not lesson.

"Pwetty kitty!" This time the other seeker was being dragged closer for inspection, Grawp moving the Slytherin within inches of his nose to get a better view. "'Arry's wifey, 'Agrid?" The Slytherin scoffed.

"Did he just call me a girl?" Mat's expression was one of disgust, disliking the giant already. "And please don't tell me he just called me Potter's wife."

"'E 'as problems differentiatin' when it comes ta ones like you. 'E's used to males lookin' one way an' females lookin' another." Hagrid tried to explain, at a loss for words. His half-brother had never called another guy a girl before, nor had he ever had an idea that those who'd come to visit were married. "'E's a 'e, Grawppie! Male! Not wifey!"

Grawp let out a grunt, not paying attention to his half-brother's words. He started shaking his arm up and down, trying to gauge the pretty boy's actions. His eyes were keenly set on the toy he had in his firm grip.

"Get him to…stop! Professor!" Mat yelled, getting slightly sick. The sensation of quickly rising and dropping over and over again was a lot worse than any broom ride he'd had, and he badly wanted to get down. "Stop it, Grawp!"

The giant stopped, listening to the 'toy'. His eyes screwed together in confusion, and he gripped harder to make the boy shut up. "'Arry and wifey kiss kiss! Grawp want you kiss kiss!"

Grawp brought his two hands together, shoving the two boys at each other. Aiden leaned as far back as he could, maintaining no desire whatsoever to "kiss kiss" his "wifey". The Slytherin had no options of leaning back; the giant had him gripped around the torso in a crushing hold. It was quickly becoming difficult to breathe.

"Grawppie, stop! Let them down now! Grawp!" Hagrid tried calling in vain; his half-brother wasn't listening to anyone anymore. Hagrid attempted everything he knew would normally get his brother's attention, and found none of it to work, and his brother just continued on doing what he was doing.

The clearing they were in was full of childish grunts and squeals, giant laughter and giggles. Grawp keep trying to get the boys to kiss, only to fail when he brought them too close or ended up banging them together. His laughter slowly subsided, and his smile faded away as the toys he had wouldn't do as he asked them to. He began getting angrier at them, not aware that the part of the problem laid with him and his coordination skills.

"Kiss kiss wifey! Kiss KISS!" He yelled the last word, tightening his grip further. Aiden struggled, attempting to pull himself from the giant's hold. He was being crushed. The Gryffindor screamed in pain, knowing that much longer under this pressure and his hips would probably break. Aiden couldn't get to his wand, having left it in his pant's pocket. He squirmed, attempting to break free. If Aiden had listened closely instead of struggling, he would have heard a nearly whispered spell coming from the giant's other hand.

Suddenly Grawp dropped both boys, screaming and clutching the hand that had held the Slytherin. It appeared to have been burned, the skin a deep red color. The giant stuck the offended skin into his mouth, glaring daggers at the students and receding back into the forest, out of the clearing. Slowly he disappeared, and Hagrid went after his half-brother.

Aiden clutched his hips, dropping to the ground and landing heavily on his knees. He pulled his wand out, making sure it wasn't broken in the giant's grip. The pain was already leaving him, though he knew the skin would be bruised for weeks. When the seeker heard a grunt, he looked up, startled.

"Potter…_Epis…key_….cast…" The Slytherin had difficulty getting the words out. He had landed on his knees as well, one arm clutching his ribs, the other supporting him from the ground. He lifted himself up, making sure his chest was in line with Aiden's wand. He wasn't breathing well and blood was trickling down from his nose. "Potter…_Episkey_…" His voice was quiet, barely audible.

"But…I've never…" Aiden protested. He'd never heard of the spell, let alone performed it. How was he supposed to get it right? The youth had seen what happened when spells went wrong in charms class, feathers blowing up and lizards turning inside out. Aiden faltered, and did not raise his wand. Not even a jerk like Riddle deserved to be turned inside out by a badly cast spell.

"Potter!" The Slytherin's tone was commanding, even as quiet as it was. He coughed, covering his mouth with his free hand. When he pulled the hand away, it was covered in blood.

"Aiden, it's alright. _Episkey_ is a 'ealing spell. Cast it." Hagrid had given up on following his brother, and now stood near Mat, unable to do anything without a wand. If the boy died now, it would be his fault, not Grawp's.

Aiden raised his wand, pointing it at the other seeker. He closed his eyes, trying to imagine how healing spells were performed. He'd only seen Hermione cast one once, and it defiantly wasn't this one. Mimicking her wand movements, he attempted his first healing spell. "_Episkey_!"

There was a crunching noise, and another grunt from the long haired youth. Mat let himself fall to the ground, breathing. He rolled onto his back, lying full out on the ground beneath him. Aiden slowly opened his eyes, afraid he'd killed the other. Once he'd spotted breathing, he let out a breath he didn't know he held. Hagrid stood over the Slytherin, concern masking his face.

"Are you alright, Riddle? I'm sorry, Grawppie gets outta control sometimes." Hagrid offered his hand to the boy on the ground. Mat took it, and slowly stood.

"I don't think I'll be coming back out here, professor." The thin seeker wiped away the blood that had flown from his nose, still a little shaky on his legs. "Good thing you're a natural, Potter. Though casting spells with your eyes closed will get someone killed one day."

"Hey! I just saved your life, Riddle! Don't you think I deserve some gratitude, or something?" Aiden stood up, glaring at the long haired Slytherin. The Slytherin glared back.

"I don't do thanks, Potter. Just be glad you didn't kill me." The Slytherin walked back towards the small place they entered the clearing from, staggering slightly as he walked. Once he'd reached the bush that Hagrid had pushed away, he turned back to face the teacher. "Professor, I'm assuming detention is over today." With Hagrid's nod, he walked out of the clearing, heading back to school.

Aiden shook his head, stretching his legs. They ached, as they probably would all week. The boy dreaded Quidditch practice later that week. Sitting on a broom for three hours while your entire lower body is covered in bruises didn't sound like a lot of fun.

"Well, we best get 'eadin' back, then." And the two headed back towards the castle with Hagrid leading, running into nothing bigger than a bunny rabbit on the way.

XXXXX

Sometime after dinner, while Aiden was telling Jayden about his detention, Professor McGonagall approached the two Gryffindors with a small paper bag in her hands. She handed it to Aiden with a nod, and walked off, back out of the Gryffindor Common Room. The Gryffindor peered inside the bag, pulling out a small potion vile. It was labeled as a salve for bruises, the handwriting most likely the school nurse's. Apparently, Hagrid had told the Professor what had happened at detention that day. The seeker had told Hagrid he would visit Grawp again, but defiantly not anytime soon.

When Aiden had re-accounted the day's events for Jayden, the other Gryffindor was way too excited for his own good. He had insisted on the two going off and getting detention together, his mind set on visiting the giant in the forest. After an hour of debate with the weary seeker, the other Gryffindor had stood up, and promptly left the Common Room. Aiden hoped he wasn't looking for detention. That boy always got the opposite of what he was looking for.


End file.
